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Turtles as Pets Increase Risk of Salmonella

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The Centers for Disease Control reported a series of incidents in which pet turtles infected individuals with Salmonella, including one death. All of the incidents were linked to small turtles, which are particularly risky since their size makes them "ideal" gifts to children by well-meaning parents who understand little of the risks they pose.

In the CDC’s MMWR, twenty two cases of Salmonella were reported during the years 2005 and 2006. The fatality occurred in a three month old infant.

According to the CDC, basic hand-washing after turtle contact is a public health necessity (as is the obvious precaution of not letting the turtles get anywhere near food prep areas), The best precaution is not getting the turtles at all.

Source: CDC MMWR – 2007

Tans Fade but Wrinkles are Forever – Slip, Slop, Slap

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Sun damages skin—period.
The obvious trick in summer is to balance exposure to sun with protection from the harmful rays that cause skin damage and can lead to cancer. These rays are known as UVA and UVB rays, with UV standing for Ultra Violet.

Australian health authorities, alarmed by the skyrocketing rise of minor skin cancers and deadly skin melanomas have instituted a health campaign with the tag line: SLIP (on a shirt), SLOP (on sunscreen), and SLAP (on a hat).

Lets briefly look at the elements of the campaign.
SLOP: Many people tend to confuse the terms "sunblock" and "sunscreen". Sunblock fully blocks the rays of the sun and consists of such "blocks" as titanium and zinc oxides. They are extremely effective in blocking sunlight, but they also are colored and leave the wearer appearing like a character on the canvas of "Women of Avignon" by Picasso. Furthermore, they need to be reapplied after only a few hours.

Two sunscreens that have hit the stores this year, Heliolex and Anthelios SX provide significant protection against UVA (80%) and UVB (90%) for up to five hours after application. Helioplex is sold by Neutrogena as UltraSheer. They go on easily, need to be reapplied less frequently than sunblocks, and are invisible.

SLIP: Nothing blocks the sun better than clothing, and when the sun is blazing, make sure you put a shirt on to protct your back and shoulders.

SLAP: You don’t have to look like a kangaroo hunter, but the more you can put your face in shadow, the less harmful rays your skin will accumulate.
And yes, you can get a fine tan with all of the above.
Drill this into your kids:

SLIP on a shirt
SLOP on sunscreen
SLAP on a hat

Eliminate Your Kid’s Backpack – Try a “Wheelie” Instead

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Even before they hit middle school, kids are cramming more and more pounds into their backpacks. What started out as a place to carry lunch, a few notepads and a mathematics text has turned into a portable library.

Unfortunately, your child’s back wasn’t designed to carry a day’s worth of textbooks, lunch and supplies.
Even with a backpack properly carried on both shoulders, more and more kids are complaining of back pain.

The solution? Talk to your child’s teachers about cutting the textbook load. And consider buying one of the newer backpacks that come with wheels. No longer the realm of "geeks," they’re the right fashion statement for the upwardly mobile student.

Smoking Hooks Kids Almost Immediately, New Study Shows

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According to a study published in the July issue of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 10% of 217 studied children who inhaled cigarettes "lost autonomy over their tobacco" use within two days of their first cigarette. Another quarter became addicted within thirty days, and a full half were addicted after smoking only seven cigarettes per month.

The conclusions contradict "conventional wisdom" which believed that it took multiple cigarettes (at least five to six) per day to become addicted to nicotine.

It isn’t long term use that causes addiction, a study author noted, but it is the addiction that causes the heavy use.

Source:
Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine 

Trading Prescription Medications Among Teens

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With an increase in the number of psychotropic prescriptions for adolescents there are increased chances of these prescriptions ending up in the wrong hands.

Results of a survey of school students show that 1% of all prescriptions that caregivers write for teenagers are used for non-medical purposes. 6 out 10 students with legitimate psychotropic prescriptions are contacted to redirect their prescriptions. 1% of them agree to do it and some even sell them. As many as 25% have reported that they divert the prescriptions to family and friends.

Critics hold doctors responsible for giving out too many prescriptions to teenagers. However, researchers say that the real problem might be that doctors do not adequately discuss the matter of diverted prescriptions with patients and their families.

Lithium Evaluated for Treating Bipolar Disorder in Children

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University of Illinois at Chicago is performing a national study to assess the benefits of lithium in treating children and adolescents with bipolar disorders.

Lithium is already proven to be effective in the treatment of adults suffering from bipolar disorders. This study will help in determining if Lithium has the same beneficial effect on pediatric patients.

The study involves evaluating efficiency of the drug, its dosage strategies, and the short-term and long-term tolerance and safety of the drug.
Bipolar disorder in children is usually referred as the pediatric bipolar disorder or manic depressive disorder. It is diagnosed when severe mood swings are noticed in a child.

The disorder hampers the normal behavior of the child and may give rise to suicidal tendencies. A child suffering from this disorder may exhibit poor school attendance and might show risk-taking behavior, such as substance abuse and involvement in risky sexual activities.

Source: University of Illinois at Chicago

Steroids of No Help to Babies with Breathing Problems

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According to a report by the New England Journal of Medicine, a steroid popularly prescribed to babies with breathing problems—particularly lower respiratory infections or Bronchiolitis—is not helpful.

One of the main causes of infant hospitalization is lower respiratory tract infection. During the study, one half of the babies were given steroids and the other half was treated with placebo medicine. None of the two treatments gave good results and 40 percent of babies from both the groups had to be hospitalized again.

Antibiotics Not Recommended for Urinary Tract Infections in Kids

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Giving antibiotics to prevent recurrent urinary tract infections in small children won’t help and may even hurt, a new study finds.

Reporting in the July 11 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers say the use of antibiotics as prevention boosts risks for drug resistance while doing nothing to shield kids from future urinary tract infections (UTIs).

Poor Diet May Affect Teen Asthma

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New research on asthma and diet shows that teens with poor diets may be more likely than their peers to have asthma symptoms and worse lung function.

The findings come from a study of some 2,100 teens in 12 U.S. and Canadian communities. In a nutshell, the teens with less than ideal diets were the most likely to have poorer lung function — including asthma symptoms — than their peers.

Fish Oil May Protect Premature Babies’ Eyesight

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Perhaps nowhere in the body is the adage “you are what you eat” so true as in your eyes, a link scientists are banking on in a novel bid to save premature babies’ vision.

Doctors are about to begin testing whether fish oils could prevent a disease that can silently attack behind preemies’ tiny eyelids, one that strikes about 16,000 U.S. infants a year and blinds hundreds.

It’s part of research into a trio of apparently eye-healthy compounds that babies born too early miss absorbing from their mothers — research gaining increasing attention as more and babies are born premature and at risk.